Monday, March 28, 2011

March came in with a mighty roar and left like a hormonal lioness, leaving her six inch paw prints in the snowdrifts. She twitched her tail and had a little sauce in her step.

I stuck my tongue out at her as she departed.

Like I mentioned, we hunkered down and battled our way through the winter. It's all warm and cozy until Christmas is over and January greets our unsheltered prairies with a cold hand shake and a snarl on her wind whipped face. March came along and we all breathed a little, hoping to see some sunshine.

It was a trick ya'll.

March madness, St. Patty's Day, the first day of Spring-nothing could really lift our spirits. We were left desolate and bleak, much like our landscape. I think it snowed everyday since the first day of Spring, without a break for a splash of sunshine.

My Canadian spirit of happily embracing the cold and getting excited over curling and hockey was rapidly diminishing. We bring entertainment indoors in Winter, but I was ready to boot this party outside.

Oh yes, it's a gala inside the house in the winter. Us Albertans, we install swings inside the house!

Who needs Disneyland? Take me to Oma Helga's!

We sit by the window and watch the tractors. You question why we don't have TV? You thought it was because we lived in the boondocks?

Tractor? Cows? Tractor? Moo?

We bring the run bike inside, folks. It's Kid's Day in Russia!

My poor kid isn't allowed to have a tricyle. She has a run bike, no pedals, ladies. Helps with balance (again, insert eye roll here.) Good thing she just learned to walk.

We sew and make so much stuff that the mounties are looking in the basement to see if we have a small sweat shop.

If you need some western baby stuff, send me a message!

We eat, we read, we get plumper-and we wait.

I LOVED this last book. Go read it. I might have to do a post dedicated to this book.

Some of us try to run away, even the hound, but when you're born on the prairies, you just really can't get away. They become a part of you.

Photos one, two and this last one were taken by good ol Jenny Keet. Picture taking extraordinaire and a girl with really nice feet.

The minute you think you're going to crack and think you see snow falling INSIDE the house (which it will drift inside the door in the entrance) you suspect you heard the weatherman muttered something about plus temperatures. Hoping the man hasn't lost his marbles through Winter and hasn't been drinking, you get your hopes up.

That's what Spring is all about anyway, isn't it? Being reminded of hope and remaining hopeful.

I hope Mother Nature remembers to be hopeful and whistles a little zip a dee doo da here in Alberta. I'm sure she'll do just fine as long as she's not hormonal like that young lioness...unless of course she's menopausal and is trying to battler her hot flashes with these cool temperatures. Sheesh!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Friends, you must forgive my absence. I have been digging my way out of the snow to try and find a computer.

Ya'll, it's the first day of Spring and this photo was taken today. Alberta is boasting piles of snow coming down. The temperature isn't -40 degrees Celsius, so it does feel balmy outside and we almost put on our flip flops.

I wanted to capture some photos for you, dear readers, but the fact of the matter is, the horizon runs together with our snow covered prairies making the photo of nothing but blind your eyeballs white.

Oh, I promise the crocuses will pop through, the gophers will start a runnin, and the calves are already making an appearance.

Once I've rattled this brain around to try and get it working after my long winter's nap, I'll be back to tell you folks about what we did to survive this winter. Yes, survive-we held onto deep freeze temperatures week after week and blizzard upon blizzard reigned down.

We saw eight foot snow drifts, ladies and gentlemen, and my daughter doesn't ask to go 'outside' she asks to go out to the 'cold.'

January I hid in the house for seventeen days straight, visited the neighbours, and hunkered down again. I'm not kidding when I say I need to get this brain a rollin' again!

Don't fear, the Muck boots are out, the stroller is ready to walk this lane and I'll let you in on a few secrets this prairie momma has up her sleeve.